'Wrong type of water' will see Jubilee line to shut for over a month

The Jubilee line is to be shut for more than 30 days over the next two years in central London because acidic water is eating into the cast iron linings of the tunnel walls.

Services will be halted in both directions between Finchley Road and Waterloo for major repairs costing £40 million.

The closures will be spread out over this year and next with the possibility of it lasting into 2015. It prompted calls for the line to be shut down this August when many people are on holiday to get all the work done in one go.

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA transport union, said: “This is all we need. Now it’s the wrong sort of water. Jubilee line passengers and businesses served by the line have already suffered more than their fare share of disruption without more on the way.”

The first shutdown will be Sunday June 16 and then again on bank holiday Monday 26 August. This will be followed by shutdowns of up to six days at a time during the next two Christmas periods which will dismay retailers, restaurants and theatres.

There will also be late starts to services on 20 further Sundays. Most closures will take place at weekends and night. With major work taking place on many Sundays there are fears of late starts to services on Monday mornings.

The acidic water, similar in strength to vinegar, comes from naturally occurring ground water seeping in from surrounding soil. Transport for London engineers are concerned about the state of more than 90 yards of the southbound tunnel between Baker Street and Bond Street. A notice issued to staff by Tube Lines, the LU subsidiary company responsible for the Jubilee line, confirms the tunnel has been “affected by acid ingress”.

Sections of tunnel linings will have to be replaced. The closures are so extensive that Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Lib-Dem group at the London Assembly and of the Assembly’s transport committee, said: “Instead of more than 18 months of repeated weekend and holiday closures I question whether one intensive block closure, perhaps in August, would be both cheaper and less disruptive.

“Given that the pain from weekend closures often runs into the week, with delays on Monday mornings being a frequent problem for commuters, alternatives must be considered.”

Jubilee line passengers have suffered a history of delays and weekend shutdowns mainly due to problems with the new signalling system costing tens of millions of pounds. Two years ago TfL pledged the last of weekend closures with “faster, more frequent and reliable services” for Londoners. Stuart Harvey, LU programme director for the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, said: “All railways require maintenance and we will soon be carrying out work on the tunnel lining on a section of the Jubilee line. I apologise to customers for the disruption. We’ll be keeping the impact to a minimum by spreading the work out.”

Closures this year, next... and 2015

2013 closures

- Sunday 16 June and Sunday 6 October

- Bank holiday Monday 26 August

- Weekend of 12 and 13 October

- Entire Christmas period 25-30 December

- Three further Sunday — dates to be announced — when service won’t start up to 11 am.

2014 closures

- Sundays of 12 January, 15 June, 17 August and 16 November

- Weekends of 1 & 2 February and 8 & 9 March

- Saturday 1 March

- Four-day closure at Easter 18-21 April

- Entire Christmas period 25-30 December

- Further 17 late start to services on Sundays

TfL warned: “In 2015 some additional closures may be necessary to complete this work.”